Prevention of Alcohol Related Incidents in the US Air Force
AFIV
1 other identifier
interventional
26,231
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Alcohol misuse poses significant public health concerns in the U.S. military. A Brief Alcohol Intervention (BAI) have been shown to reduce alcohol related incidents among Airmen undergoing training. The current study sought to examine whether a booster BAI administered at the end of an Airmen's training reduced alcohol related incidents out to a one-year follow-up. Participants were 26,231 US Air Force Technical Trainees recruited between March 2016 and July 2018. Participants were cluster randomized by cohort to two conditions: BAI + BAI Booster or BAI + Bystander Intervention. The primary analysis was a comparison of the interventions' efficacies in preventing Article 15 alcohol related incidents at a one-year follow-up, conducted using a generalized estimating equations logistic regression model controlling for covariates.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Mar 2016
Typical duration for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
July 11, 2011
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
July 20, 2011
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
March 1, 2016
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
July 31, 2018
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
July 31, 2018
CompletedMay 26, 2022
May 1, 2022
2.4 years
July 11, 2011
May 20, 2022
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Article 15s
Adjudicated alcohol related incident in the United States Air Force (Article 15). We determined if an Airmen had received an Article 15 in the year following Technical Training by searching the Automated Military Justice Analysis and Management System (AMJAMS).
12 months
Study Arms (2)
Group Brief Alcohol Booster Intervention
EXPERIMENTALThe 1-hour booster intervention was delivered using MI to extend the effective elements found in the original BAI intervention with elements from behavioral economic theory. A behavioral economic approach to alcohol use suggests that decisions to drink are more likely when 1) there is a lack of access to or engagement in alternative alcohol-free reinforcing activities, and 2) there is a greater relative focus on immediate, relative to delayed, rewards (i.e., steep delayed reward discounting). The intent of the intervention is to bring important long-term goals into the present so that the immediate awareness of this goal might diminish the relative benefit of drinking. Another goal was to have the Airmen identify enjoyable and goal-consistent alcohol-free activities they could engage in during their free time. The booster also included a reminder of the U.S. Air Forces rules and policies on alcohol use and harm reduction drinking strategies.
Bystander Intervention
ACTIVE COMPARATORThe 1-hour Bystander intervention was a non-alcohol related briefing that served as the control condition. The intervention focused on increasing Airmen's awareness of the qualities of being a good "wingman" (e.g., watching for their peers) and how those are tied to the Air Force Core Values. It aimed to increase participants' perceived responsibility to act in certain situations. The intervention draws on the philosophy that members in a community have a role in shifting social norms to prevent violence. While the intervention did not directly discuss alcohol use, the focus on military values and taking responsibility for one's self and others could contribute to healthier drinking-related choices.
Interventions
The BAI contained components of effective interventions developed for young adult drinkers both in health care and educational settings and was specifically tailored to the unique needs and risk factors of Airmen. The 1-hour group intervention was administered using the principles of motivational interviewing (MI) in an interactive Socratic style to generate feedback and discussion. Open-ended questions, reflections, as well as the decisional balance scale were used to increase Airmen's motivation to remain alcohol free.
The 1-hour booster intervention was delivered using MI to extend the effective elements found in the original BAI intervention with elements from behavioral economic theory. A behavioral economic approach to alcohol use suggests that decisions to drink are more likely when 1) there is a lack of access to or engagement in alternative alcohol-free reinforcing activities, and 2) there is a greater relative focus on immediate, relative to delayed, rewards (i.e., steep delayed reward discounting). The intent of the intervention is to bring important long-term goals into the present so that the immediate awareness of this goal might diminish the relative benefit of drinking. Another goal was to have the Airmen identify enjoyable and goal-consistent alcohol-free activities they could engage in during their free time. The booster also included a reminder of the U.S. Air Forces rules and policies on alcohol use and harm reduction drinking strategies.
The 1-hour Bystander intervention was a non-alcohol related briefing that served as the control condition. The intervention focused on increasing Airmen's awareness of the qualities of being a good "wingman" (e.g., watching for their peers) and how those are tied to the Air Force Core Values. It aimed to increase participants' perceived responsibility to act in certain situations. The intervention draws on the philosophy that members in a community have a role in shifting social norms to prevent violence (Coker et al., 2011). While the intervention did not directly discuss alcohol use, the focus on military values and taking responsibility for one's self and others could contribute to healthier drinking-related choices.
Eligibility Criteria
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Sponsors & Collaborators
- University of Virginialead
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)collaborator
- United States Air Forcecollaborator
Study Sites (1)
37th Training Group
Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, 78236, United States
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Robert C. Klesges, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- PREVENTION
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
July 11, 2011
First Posted
July 20, 2011
Study Start
March 1, 2016
Primary Completion
July 31, 2018
Study Completion
July 31, 2018
Last Updated
May 26, 2022
Record last verified: 2022-05